In the Eyes of God: Can religion save girls from unsafe abortion?

What the report says

The Independent Uganda, citing URN, reported on July 19, 2026, on the role of religion and culture in Uganda’s unsafe abortion crisis, opening with the account of “Alaisha Nambi,” a pseudonym for a girl who left school at 15 because her family could not afford fees and moved to Kampala for work. The report says she became pregnant after a relationship with an older man, sought to end the pregnancy with her mother’s support, and took medication from a nearby health facility without understanding the risks, later experiencing severe pain and lasting emotional distress.

The article frames Nambi’s story as part of a wider public health problem affecting adolescent girls facing poverty, limited schooling, inadequate reproductive health information and stigma. It reports that unsafe abortion is among Uganda’s major contributors to maternal deaths, citing estimates that it accounts for 8% to 26% of pregnancy-related deaths, with about 1,500 women and girls dying annually from related complications. It also cites estimates that 80,000 to 93,000 women seek facility-based care each year after unsafe procedures, while Uganda’s abortion laws allow termination only in restricted circumstances.

Religious leaders interviewed rejected the idea that faith encourages unsafe abortion. Dr Ziyadi Swaleh Lubanga of the Uganda Muslim Supreme Council said Islam permits abortion only when medical professionals find the mother’s life is at risk. Orthodox priest Fr Kibuuka Bosa and Seventh-day Adventist women’s leader Lilian Mugerwa emphasized prevention, youth guidance, abstinence, family responsibility and psychosocial support.

The report also highlights cultural views, including Buganda traditions described by Patrick Nkaada Katumba, where children are seen as vital to lineage. The central issue, the article suggests, is how Uganda can reduce preventable maternal deaths while navigating legal limits, stigma, religious teachings and cultural expectations.